Publisher's View

To show real leadership, Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig should take the state exam.

BY ERIC HARMON

When I was in the military, it was clear to me that regulations and standards ruled the day.

But I was a bit of a know-it-all and I'll admit that
I initially shunned much of that. Later, I caught on. It was clear the
"method to the madness" was critical when things became dangerous. To
ensure the safety of their troops, leaders needed to count on them to
follow the rules.

I bring this up because of the flurry of
conversations about our blessed city and the only topic that seems to
prompt lively debate beyond the national election. The hot item:
Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig's refusal to take the state peace
officer exam.

Let me start with this: I think the Chief is doing a great job.

The statistics show that his leadership, along with
the awesome efforts of those in uniform are making our city, and thus
the region, a place we are proud to call home. I won't forget the
photograph in the Enquirer last year showing the Chief walking away from
a crime scene in a flowing leather jacket. It looked as if it were
taken from a movie trailer. A strong officer of the law leading not from
an office, but from the street. Cool indeed.

Unfortunately, the Chief's refusal to take the test
required of all incoming officers has ramifications beyond the test
itself. It can be seen as a "do as I say, not as I d' and it could lead
to perceptions that the Chief is not in this for the long haul.

That's obviously not something that the Mayor and
City Manager hoped to have happen the first time that we looked outside
the ranks and the area for new leadership. However, both have been
quoted as supporting the Chief's continued fight.

That was a bad decision by both from the start. Now
that the state commission has refused to grant the Chief a waiver, their
continued support seems counter-productive, in my opinion, to creating a
strong leadership team. Perceptions of cronyism can take hold "” even if
that is far from reality.

Chief Craig: All signs point to you making great
strides to eliminating many obstacles to making the community safer.
Another great leader, Lt. Col. George Custer, unfortunately decided that
Little Bighorn was where he would take an unwavering stand. Opt to lose
this little skirmish to win big for our city and our region.